Shoaff Named Dean of Bible and Ministry

Kentucky Christian University
Press Release:

KCU President Terry Allcorn Announces Appointment of Dr. Robert E. Shoaff as Dean of the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry

GRAYSON, Kentucky (November 28, 2022) – Following a six-month search that considered nearly a dozen qualified candidates from across the country, Dr. Terry Allcorn has announced the appointment Robert E. Shoaff, Ph.D., as the new Dean of the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry at Kentucky Christian University. The appointment will be effective January 1, 2023.

Dr. Shoaff brings strong academic credentials and significant professional experience to the Dean’s position. He holds bachelors and master’s degrees in Biblical Studies, Ministry, and Christian Leadership from Kentucky Christian University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Cross-Cultural Leadership from Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee. In addition to academic preparation, he also brings a breadth of classroom, ministry and mission experience.

Dr. Shoaff served most recently at Lincoln Christian University as professor of Cultural Intelligence, Cultural Contextualization, and Cross-Cultural Ministry. His cross-cultural teaching experience includes five years at Sonlight Bible College in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, and two years teaching Comparative World Religions at La Universidad de Murcia, Spain. In Spain, he served for five years with the Bill Loft Mission, as a church planter in both Spain and North Africa.

As the founder of LEAD International, he continues to support global missions and serves as a consultant and coach to leaders training disciples in cross-cultural contexts. Dr. Shoaff writes and develops content and video scripts for discipleship training, and speaks frequently at churches, on university campuses, and at national and international conferences on missional engagement.

Dr. Shoaff also has a record of effective service as the lead minister of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in Hillsboro, Ohio and Albion, Illinois, and as the Executive Director of Little Galilee Christian Camp & Retreat Center in Clinton, Illinois. In this capacity he was responsible all administrative functions including operational oversight, staff training and accountability, financial and fundraising operations, church relations, and recruiting and promotional appearances at churches and area gatherings. He was introduced to Christ while a camper at Elkhorn Valley Christian Service Camp in Ohio, where he was baptized. He knows first-hand the positive influence of the Christian camp and conference experience in the lives of young people.

Dr. Shoaff is excited to join the educational ministry of his alma mater and lead the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry in fulfillment of its mission “to enlist, educate and equip missional leaders empowered by biblical authority and worldview to advance the purposes of God for the benefit of his church and its mobilization of disciples in response to the Great Commission.”

“I am passionate about the renewed vision that I believe the Lord has given to the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry,” Dr. Shoaff said. “I covet your prayers and am humbled to know that you are praying for me. As I seek the Lord’s guidance, listening for the Spirit’s voice and watching for His movement, and as I partner with colleagues, I desire to make Jesus’ name great in all things. May He be praised now and forevermore as we work together to bring His Kingdom to earth and make His love and salvation known to many.”

The Search Committee established certain parameters for the selection process, giving close attention to the President’s preferred leadership profile. While the Committee was quite impressed with the field of candidates in terms of their academic preparation (all had earned doctorates from reputable institutions), there were some weightier matters that were regarded as non-negotiables. The Committee was reminded of the words spoken by the Lord into the heart of the Prophet Samuel long ago, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” (1 Samuel 16:7). What did God see when he looked into David’s heart? Courage to protect the flock against enemy threats regardless of personal harm. Faithful devotion to mission even though others regarded the responsibility to be small and unimportant. A heart for the things that matter to God, (1 Samuel 13:14). These are matters of character that can’t be read in a resumé: faithfulness, trust, integrity, humility, reverence, gentleness, grace and forgiveness are a few.

The challenge facing the Committee was to remember that the advanced degrees, awards, and accomplishments listed in a curriculum vita or resumé pale in significance compared to the content of a candidate’s heart. The heart of a leader matters. In the matter of selecting a Dean for the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry, the Committee was looking for someone with a heart for the things that matter to God. The committee was in prayer for a missional leader – a man of God’s own choosing – a man that would show us his heart.

Specifically, the Search Committee was looking for evidence of,

1. Faithfulness to the inspired Word of God and a love for preaching and teaching the Bible clearly and accurately.
2. A proven heart for local church ministry and evangelism, including disciple-making and church planting in intercultural contexts.
3. A strong commitment to educating ministers with a deep commitment to Scripture, personal purity, service, and missional leadership in the church, both in the U.S. and throughout the world, and by every possible means of educational access.
4. A visionary leader that can inspire excellence in scholarship, instructional skill in the classroom, and mentoring throughout a student’s educational journey and beyond.
5. An active recruiter that is excited about collaborating with other deans, staff, faculty and coaches to identify capable students already on campus that may, with encouragement, direct their gifts toward ministry.
6. A voice of advocacy in support of Christ’s prayer for the unity of believers (John 17:20-26).Dr. Keith P. Keeran, Chancellor of the University and Interim Dean of the School of Bible and Ministry, reminded the Committee that, “It has become debatable in some circles, as to how much, if anything, the church of the 21st Century needs to know about the 19th and 20th Century unity movement to restore the ancient pattern of the church in life and practice. Most church leaders today approach the Restoration Movement only passively. They incorporate some of the underlying principles of the Movement into their personal theological perspective, but fail to touch on the struggle of the early reformers to come out of sectarian creedalism and embrace the Scriptures alone as their rule for faith and practice. The struggle is the most important part of the story, and the lessons the story teaches must not be forgotten. Distortions of the original pattern are evidenced throughout all of church history from ancient times to present-day. The church was not without such distortions in the 1st Century and it must remain vigilant and faithful to the Word in every generation if it is to keep in step with the unity for which Christ prayed. And my, what better opportunity to teach critical thinking skills to today’s ministry students than to invite them to walk with the reformers and share in their personal struggle to rediscover and restore biblical truth.”Dr. Keeran said, “The Search Committee committed itself to finding a Dean that is a strong advocate for the hermenutics that shaped the Restoration Movement; a Dean that will not neglect the historical value of the reformers’ struggle as a required component of the curricular experience in ministerial education. We believe we have found such an advocate in Dr. Robert E. Shoaff.”
7. A leader in accreditation advocacy. Under President Allcorn’s leadership the University had its institutional accreditation reaffirmed yet again by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Now, under Dr. Shoaff’s leadership as Dean, the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry will seek accreditation of its programs with the Association for Biblical Higher Education. The motivation for this is to access educational and training resources that are program specific and will benefit the assessment of continuous improvement in both instructional methods and student performance. Program accreditation will also provide a platform for faculty to engage with others in educational leadership and to benefit from best practices in both in-person and online education.

Dr. Shoaff provided confirming evidence for each of the key leadership areas included in the President’s charge to the Committee.

Dr. Keeran, pleased with the comprehensive nature of the search process, said that “The work of the Committee was especially blessed by the careful professional leadership of Calvin Lindell, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University and Chair of the Search Committee. His prayerful attention to candidate background checks and the tedious work of checking transcripts and references was unparalleled in its thoroughness.”

The Committee (which also included Dr. Dennis Durst, professor of New Testament and Apologetics; Dr. Jim Girdwood, a former Dean of the School and retired professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages; Donald Damron, Vice President of Student Life and senior minister with the Oak Grove Church of Christ in Grayson; and the Interim Dean, Dr. Keith P. Keeran), was enthusiastic in its recommendation to President Allcorn that Dr. Robert E. Shoaff be appointed Dean of the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry. After careful consideration and his own personal deep-dive into the candidate’s qualifications, Dr. Allcorn agreed with the Committee recommendation.

Dr. Girdwood made a comment at the end of the Committee’s deliberations that will be remembered as an appropriate confirmation of both the search process and the candidate. “Did not our hearts beat with joy as Dr. Shoaff responded to each interview question?! We have been allowed a glimpse into his heart and a reason to be thankful!”

Please keep “Rob” and his wife Cindy in your prayers as they prepare for a winter transition to campus from Bloomington, Illinois and as they establish a new home in Grayson – though its really like coming back home and to the place where it all began.